It is generally desirable to improve the wet traction of a tire tread. For example, it is common to compound high styrene SBR polymers in tread stock recipes with a concomitant improvement in wet traction. Unfortunately, along with the improvement in the wet traction there is a corresponding decrease in the abrasion resistance of the tire resulting in increased tire wear. For these reasons, it is very desirable to improve the wet traction of the tire without sacrificing the abrasion resistance.